


Running With The Wolves

by roombaa



Category: Heathers (1988)
Genre: AU, Aftermath of Torture, Blood and Gore, Chandler is team mom, Everyone else are Alphas, Excessive Violence, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I cant even use the terms without it sounding sexual wrf, Kidnapping, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Ram and Kurt are betas, Self Harm, Sexual Assault, Sisterly, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Veronica and Kurt have this really sweet sibling relationship that makes sense as you read, Veronica is a runt, Veronica is a werewolf, Veronica is ace/aro, Veronica just wants to be apart of a pack, Werewolf AU, a werewolf AU where there is no heat or mating gasp, and an omega, and fluff, barely, but fuck JD, everything is platonic, it’s all metaphorical, lots of pain, no relationships because I hate Them, past trauma, platonic fluff, she tears up everything, she will kill for Ronnie tbh, so is JD, what a good mom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-08-27 11:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roombaa/pseuds/roombaa
Summary: As a runt and an omega, it’s easier for Veronica Sawyer to be overpowered. But if it comes to her pack, she’ll fight until she dies because they are the most important thing in her life. And when a creepy new werewolf stalks into Westerberg, she’ll test her limits just to protect the three people she cares about the most. Because they gave her a chance when nobody else would.





	1. I Know I’m a Wolf

For Veronica, waking up laying in shredded sheets wasn’t that unusual. She had gotten used to seeing scratches and bite marks in her blankets and mattress a long time ago, she just wondered why she never grew out of this phase. Was it a phase? She didn’t know, since there wasn’t really any books or websites on her...condition. Most of it was all disclosed or locked up tight from the public eye. Or it was all from fiction.

Oh well.

After untangling herself from the tattered bedding, she would get up to go get dressed and ready for school. She never liked school. What was the point of it? Another question that was never answered for her.

She usually lived alone, so maybe she didn’t have to. But her parents were paying for the house and the deal was that she had to go to if she wanted a place to live. Harsh.

Living alone wasn’t that bad, really. She could stay up late, do whatever she wanted, and keep her tail out.

Oh yeah, was it ever mentioned that she had a tail? Because she does. And big ears, fur, sharp teeth, and claws. If you couldn’t tell already, she wasn’t exactly human.

Veronica Sawyer was a werewolf.

Before you go off saying anything, she’s not one of those monstrous beasts who tear apart everything in sight or those lust-filled ones that go through heat and impregnate and mark their mates. She’s never gone into heat once. Maybe that’s because she asexual/aromantic. Or that she’s just a scraggly little omega. Either way, she was glad she didn’t have a mating cycle.

No, Veronica Sawyer was just a girl who could turn into a bipedal beast at her own will. Sometimes. She wasn’t restrained to one night every month, but she couldn’t always transform. And she couldn’t always change back instantly once she did. Sometimes she was trapped as a wolf for hours, scared and fleeing from people.

Nobody knew her secret. Well, except her parents, but they don’t come by often anymore. Not since the incident...

Whatever anyone tells you, it wasn’t Veronica’s fault. Her cousins were taunting her and she couldn’t control herself so she just-

Actually, no. That shouldn’t be told right now.

But her parents! Her parents were never very accepting of their precious little daughter being a beast. Not that it was her fault. Multiple people got infected with the lupine virus. And as in multiple, I mean twenty, maybe. There’s not many werewolves around, at least in Sherwood.

Well, there was this one kid. Veronica thought his name was Jason Dean? He smelled like sulfur and slushes. She didn’t like him; his eyes were hungry and he was always staring at her.

But he didn’t matter. What did matter was Veronica’s pack! The Heathers. They were like the alphas of high school. Veronica was just the tiny omega they kept around because she could forge stuff or something. She really liked their scent. And she just liked them in general, so of course she went along with everything they said, as her desire to be in a pack was greater than common sense.

So that’s why when Chandler arranged a sleepover at her house, Veronica was more nervous about being good than worrying about it being a full moon.

Full moons... Just the thought of them made Veronica shudder. Full moons were the one night Veronica couldn’t stop her transformation. They lived up to legends, forcing her into her lupine form and making her an unpredictable beast. She couldn’t control herself on full moons and had to lock herself in the silver cage in her basement. She hated that room, but on the night of that sleepover, she loved it more than anything.

It’s a shame she couldn’t get to it on time before she murdered all of her friends.

Veronica’s skin started to crawl while they were watching a movie, Ocean’s 8 to be precise. Her stomach cramped as a warning and she suddenly felt like throwing up. It was never good to eat before her transformation, as her body didn’t know what to do with food and she usually ended up puking it back up.

“You’re looking a little pale there, Veronica,” McNamara teased, “Everything okay? This movie isn’t even that bloody.”

“We could watch somethin like Scream.” Duke suggested, smirking at the cobalt girl.

Veronica swallowed hard. The Heathers smelled of fancy perfume and calmness. Unlike herself, as she reeked of fear. Their scent is something she usually latched on to to comfort herself, but it wasn’t working right now.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” She said, digging her nails into her knees. Maybe she would be fine.

Her stomach bubbles warningly and she shot up to her feet.

“No I’m not- I’m going to the bathroom.” She sprinted for the restroom, slamming the door shut and barley making it to the toilet before she started throwing up. She heaved violently, getting bile and chunks of dinner in her hair. She grimaced and leaned backwards.

The pain came hot and fast. Veronica rocked back and forth on her hands and knees, gurgling and choking on her suffering. The thunderous sensation seared through her legs and spread like a wildfire up her spine and into the rest of her body. Her heart throbbed heavily against her ribcage, threatening to break apart the bones. Her muscles simultaneously pulsated and burned, which only added to her deepening anguish.

Her legs felt like they were breaking under an invisible pressure, reshaping entirely. Her muscles shifted underneath her skin, disgustingly twisting and bulging the taut, pale flesh. Then, her muscles began to jerk this way and that to try and find better comfort. Then, Veronica’s legs suddenly snapped and she cried out. The bones seemed to melt into a new shape underneath her skin, becoming a different form entirely. The stinging was intense, like she was being set on fire. After the mutation finished, her legs looked almost hock-jointed.

Nails sharpened into long, black claws as her teeth grew to a point. Brown-black fur blanketed over her sweaty skin and bloody saliva splatters our from her muzzle. Tears glued her eyes shut. She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to howl.

“Veronica?”

From outside, Chandler was knocking on the bathroom door with her eyebrows furrowed. She wasn’t necessarily annoyed, just curious and confused. Even a little concerned.

“Are you okay in there? Did you scream or something?”

A shiver was sent down her spine when she heard low growling. No human could make that sound, even if they were really good at imitating an animal.

“Veronica...?”

More growling. Gnashing teeth. She thought she heard nails scraping the tile floor.

“Veronica, what the hell are you doing in there? This isn’t funny anymore.”

Her answer was a furious bark of a beast.

Chandler jumped back away from the door then narrowed her eyes. She stomped off to grab her dad’s gun and returned to the door with the other two Heathers close behind her with a lamp and a large kitchen knife. They weren’t some cowardly trio of princesses; they could take on something that could be a threat.

“Veronica, I’m coming in.”

Chandler unlocked the door with a key and aimed her gun at the...werewolf in the bathroom. She nearly dropped her weapon in shock.

The werewolf is runty, probably barley reaching Chandler’s shoulders when it’s standing up straight. It’s long claws and razor sharp teeth make up for size though, and the fact that this is a bipedal monster is also pretty frightening.

Chandler snaps out of her fear and puts her finger on the trigger. Duke and McNamara are right behind her with their weapons raised.

The werewolf bares its teeth and snarls at first, then whimpers. Its ears fold back against its head and it backs itself into a corner, clearly frightened.

Chandler lowers her arm and gasps. Staring into those big blue eyes which resemble so much like a puppies, she swore she can see Veronica looking back at her. Her stomach twists at the thought of shooting the girl, even if she did agitate her at times.

“Veronica...?!”

The wolf’s ears perk up slightly with recognition. Its nose twitches, taking a small step forward to sniff the trio of color-coded demon queens. After recognizing the scent, its tail started to wag. With a familiar smell, Veronica could better grasp onto her humanity. Nobody would die tonight.

“Holy shit,” Duke muttered. “Holy shit! Veronica is a werewolf!”

The she-wolf jumps back into a defensive stance when the green Heather yelled, growling again. Chandler shot her a look before extending a hand. Veronica sniffs it thoroughly before her tail wagged again.

“Oh my god,” McNamara mumbled, running a hand through her hair. “I knew there was something up with her, but this? This was never one of those ideas.”

The other two nodded in agreement.

Veronica is inching closer, which makes them a little nervous. She smells their fear and whimpers, scampering backwards and curling up in the bathtub like the good dog she was trying to be. The last thing she wanted is to scare her friends. She didn’t want to lose her pack.

“I mean, she can’t sleep with us,” Duke whispers, but Veronica can still hear her with her heightened sense of hearing. “You see her claws. She’s also practically feral.”

“I know,” Chandler sighed before turning to the werewolf. “Veronica, we’re gonna lock you in here for the night. I’m sorry.”

Veronica nodded her head before burying her nose in her fur. She spent the night all alone in the dark, cold bathroom. It was better than her cage by a mile, but it was still so lonely. At least she got a blanket.

By morning, that blanket was shredded. Veronica had a violent episode at around three in the morning and tore up everything she could get her teeth on. That included the blanket, the shower curtain, the window curtain, the roll of toilet paper, the hand towel, and the rug. Cloth littered the floor which was probably not scratched up from her claws.

When the sun rose and the Heathers unlocked the bathroom door, they gawked at the mess and then the girl shivering and twitching in the bathtub. Veronica was naked and they all saw the angry red scratches on her arms and sides. There were even a few bite marks. McNamara ran off to grab a new blanket.

When Veronica finally woke up and got dressed, she broke down when she confronted the Heathers. She sniffles and gasped on her sobs, pressing her hands to her already puffy eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” She whimpered. “You-you guys weren’t supposed to see that. You weren’t supposed to know. P-please don’t leave. I promise I won’t hurt any of you! Please, I can’t lose my pack.”

The Heathers exchanged looks and then focused back on Veronica, who’s scratching at her arm. Chandler gently grabs her wrist and pulls her arm away. There are already too many scars and scabs there, there doesn’t need to be more.

“Your pack?” Duke tilted her head.

Veronica sniffled and nodded, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.

“Yeah... That’s what we call our friends... A pack.”

Her ears burn red and she dips her head in embarrassment. She stands up to her her stuff.

“I-I should just leave. I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“Veronica, wait.” 

Chandler stopped her and she glanced up for a moment, then evaded eye contact. She looked like a dog that was just caught doing something they shouldn’t.

“You can’t go now. What if someone else finds out? They might not be as accepting as us.”

Veronica glanced at Duke and McNamara, who nodded. She looked up fully, her eyes wide.

“R-really?”

“Yes, really. You don’t abandon a dog. That’s basically animal abuse.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Heather!”

Veronica threw her arms around Chandler and nuzzled against her like the lovable little puppy she was. Her ears popped out of her head and Chandler felt an even bigger urge to protect this wolf who everybody else threw out.


	2. Dog Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha bitches im not done with this yet! i got plot and it’s gonna be great

Now that the Heathers knew about the fourth member of their clique (or pack) being a werewolf, Veronica was a lot more open to them about things. She could act natural and not like a human.

For example, every time they ate anything, she would thoroughly sniff the food. No, she wouldn’t stick her face in it, but she would smell from where she was sitting. It wasn’t annoying, just strange to watch her nose twitch like that. She stated she was making sure that there was nothing wrong with the food.

It took awhile to get used to her mannerisms, too. Being friends with a werewolf was like trying to train a puppy. They were unpredictable, and the Heathers couldn’t forget that Veronica was an animal. She wasn’t natural, but they didn’t seem to mind. Over time, their fear was smothered.

Veronica felt safe again. She was with her pack, and she couldn’t be happier.

And then, one day, someone tried to ruin it.

JD was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking. His scent was putrid, whiskey and cigarettes. There was a wild flame burning in his eyes.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you alone today, pup.” He said, and Veronica snapped her head around to look at him.

She had been walking out of the school a little late, since she had been in the library. She glided her tongue over her teeth and then answered JD:

“Is there something you need?”

JD shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. He moved off the wall and circled Veronica a few times, examining her and taking in her scent.

“You reek of those princesses,” He said. “Don’t you take a bath?”

“Don’t _you_?” Veronica struck back, as he was the one who smelled out of the both of them.

JD laughs, a deep rumble in his throat.

“You’re cute.”

Veronica growls.

“And I’m leaving.”

“Where? To your owners?”

She stopped and looked back at him.

“Look at you, Veronica. You’re practically domesticated. I’m surprised they haven’t put a collar and a leash on you yet.”

“They’re my friends.” Veronica said, “Having human friends doesn’t make me a dog.”

“Humans are prey,” JD says, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, “We are the predators. Do you know what we do to prey?”

A beat of silence.

“We eat them.”

Veronica flashes her teeth at him, getting into a more defensive position.

“No!”

“Yes!”

JD gets closer.

“You have let yourself get turned into nothing more than a pet. Is that what you went to be? A little puppy dog they can just use? You’re an animal, Veronica. A beast. Don’t let them change that.”

“I’m not,” Veronica spits, “What do you want?”

JD eases up. He lights the cigarette, despite still being in the school building.

“For starters, it’s mating season. I think we can make a good match.” He said cooly.

Veronica makes a face. She had no idea it was breeding month. She didn’t smell like a dog in heat, nor did she have any urges, which was probably good. That didn’t seem to stop JD, though, because surely he could smell that there wasn’t any need on her.

“No,” She said, “Find a poodle or something to stick your dick in. I’m trying to keep myself clean, and the last thing I need is for your fat knot shoved up my ass.”

JD laughs again, throwing his head back and almost dropping his cigarette. He takes another puff and chuckled.

“Oh, pup. You act like you have a choice. Everyone breeds.”

“Not me. Get lost.”

She turns and walks out the door before he can say anything else or make his own exit. She spits the Heathers waiting for her by the red Porsche and bounded up to them.

“Sorry for the wait!” She apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Chandler eyes her up and down.

“Is everything okay?”

Veronica blinks, and she wonders if the queen bee and smell her anxiousness. She shakes her head at the statement.

“Yeah,” She said, “Just took awhile to find the book I wanted.” She raised The Merchant of Venice and smiled. Duke wrinkled her nose.

“Another Shakespeare play?”

“Uhh, yeah!” Veronica laughed slightly, “You’re the bookworm of the group. How do you not like this?”

“It’s hard to understand.”

That made Veronica go on about Shakespeare and his plays. The Heathers groaned in a good natured way and herded her into the car while she was still babbling, laughing the whole time.

While buckling up, she thought back to what that JD guy had told her. People hating werewolves and all. The Heathers weren’t like that, but she knew that there were humans out there who hated what she was. She would soon know, as she was going to witness their rage firsthand.

———

_Veronica awoke chained up in a damp, cold cell. There was an iron collar around her neck and shackles locking her wrists to the ground. She tried to pull herself free, but they had her good. She growled lowly as a guard passed by, smirking._

_The memories were hazy, but she could have sworn she had been walking home. Maybe she was jumped or darted. She didn’t know, but she was here now and she needed to escape._

_Except escape wasn’t that easy. When a human came for her, they were armed and kept the gun trained on her. The cell door swung open and one man wearing a lab coat injected her with something. The transformation was quick, too quick. Her bones snapped and muscles tore to rearrange, and Veronica was heaving by the time she was in her lupine form. The sting lasted longer than usual as her chains were unlocked._

_When the guard with a rifle tried to guide her out of the room by a chain, she dug her heels into the ground and resisted. She only moved when his partner jabbed her in the back of her head with the barrel of his gun._

_Veronica was lead into a larger area that resembled a break room, and shoved into a silver cage by a couch. Distant cheering and howling came from somewhere else._

_For an hour she was left alone in there. This seemed to be some kind of torture, because the heater had to be turned up high. Her fur felt like it was lit on fire and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Drool dripped from her maw; she was desperate for water._

_Finally, the humans came back, but they ignored her whimpers. They ate their dinner, fast food from a restaurant she couldn’t quite remember, and the smell makes her salivate even more. She attempted to annoy them into giving her something by tipping her head back and howling, but it did absolutely nothing. In fact, it made her mouth even more dry._

_This hunger had to come from that drug or her shifting so quickly. Maybe both. She felt like she hasn’t eaten in ages._

_Eventually, one of the young men in the room- he looked only a little older than her- took pity on her and dumped some scraps in her cage. She hit her head on the bars when she dove for the food._

_“That’s a good girl,” The teenager cooed, his eyes lit up with satisfaction, “You were hungry, huh?”_

_“Do you see, Charles?” An older man says, walking up to the cage, “These beasts always act like they’re tough and scary, but underneath that, they’re just like dogs. Hungry. Obedient. Trainable.”_

_Veronica’s ears prick at that, but she’s too hungry to say anything. She keeps eating, afraid someone will take the plate away._

_“Get a bowl of water. She’ll be ready for the arena after that.”_

_Arena? What arena?_

_Veronica doesn’t ponder it long as her thirst overcomes her. The metal bowl of water wasn’t even set down before she dove for it, knocking some water out onto the floor of the cage. She drank until it became hard to breathe, but she still didn’t stop. The workers in the room found her hunger and thirst humorous and decided to tease her with food until a human in a black vest came in. A chain was hooked onto her iron collar and she was guided out somewhere else like a dog on a leash._

_While walking down a dimly lit, narrow corridor, she takes the chance to look around. Not that there’s much to see. The cheering gets louder. There’s light at the end of the hallway. More noise. Her guide looks down at her and smirks._

_“I’m not gonna lie, beast,” He said. “I think you’ll make a good champion. We don’t get a lot of females. I hear they’re fierce.”_

_Veronica’s ears swivel around and she blinks up at him. He laughed, a guttural noise. From somewhere in the distance, there’s a loud voice that seems to come over a speaker._

_“Good evening everyone! Today we have a thrilling slate of fights for the arena!”_

_Cheering. Excited cheering._

_“Bring in the combatants!”_

_“That’s your cue, little wolf,” The guide said and she’s lead into a large room._

_An arena, just like what that man had said. Big and circular with sand floors and iron barred walls so spectators can see in. It appears to be an underground bar as well, as there’s high tables and a counter, but also had wooden bleachers on either side of the room, behind the bars. On the far side, there’s a stand where a man smoking a cigar is standing with an announcer and guards close by. It doesn’t take Veronica long to realize what’s going on._

_The chain on her collar is unlocked and she’s shoved forward before the way she had come in is slammed shut._

_“On the left we have a puny little she-wolf that makes up with her teeth and claws. Recently captured and ready to prove herself, I give you Veronica!”_

_Humans behind the bars cheer and clap for her, even though they’ve never seen her fight._

_“And the right side, a timber wolf with a relatively good streak. Can he prove himself to be the champion we’re all seeking? He has to survive the arena first! Here is Arthur!”_

_The wolf, Arthur, apparently, walks in all on his own. His fur is that of a timbers and his eyes are sharp black. He stares hard at Veronica. Waterfalls of drool ooze from his maw._

_“Claws up! Teeth bared! FIGHT!”_

_Arthur sprung off the ground and Veronica just barely manages to scramble out of the way in time. She spun around to face him, ears folded back against her head._

_“We really have to fight, don’t we?” She asked._

_No verbal answer._

_The male jumped again and Veronica leapt out of the way. A paw reaches up and scrapes down her stomach, catching her tail in his mouth at the same time. Veronica lands hard on her chest, and kicks out one leg, nailing Arthur in his lower jaw. His neck pops and a tooth flies loose. Both wolves scramble away from each other to recover._

_Arthur shakes his head, sending splatters of blood and slobber in every direction. Hunger and fury dance in his reddened eyes. He lets loose a horrible primal roar and charges forward, paws pounding the sand._

_Veronica’s instincts have kicked in. She knows she’ll have to fight or else she will die. She feints to the side and swept a leg under Arthur, making him yelp sharply in surprise. She pounces on him, pressing her claws underneath his chin. He freezes. The crowd howls in anticipation._

_The animalistic fury dissolves from Arthur’s eyes and it looks like a helpless retriever is staring back up at her, scared. It’s a person, just like her. Someone who deserves to live just as much as she does._

_Her paw raises for a moment, but it’s enough for Arthur to shove her off. She tumbles backwards; he’s on her. His fingers wrap around her throat, and she thrusts a hand up, pushing his head away from her. Not that it’ll help._

_The spectators start to yell._

_“Rip her head off!”_

_“Gouge her eyes out!”_

_“Tear open her throat!”_

_“Eat her insides!”_

_“BLOOD! **BLOOD**! WE WANT BLOOD!”_

_For a moment, the man Arthur was stares down at Veronica. The same pity that had been in her eyes clouds him, but, unlike her, it’s pushed away. His claws press into either sides of her neck._

_Panic fills Veronica. Every instinct is telling her to fight, and she does. She thrashes and swung a paw up, catching Arthur in the side of the face. Her claws sink into something and the sharp howl of pain signaled that she had landed an effective blow. Right in the male’s eye, to be exact. The sight of the eyeball plopping into the sound was sickening, but the inner animal inside Veronica seemed to eat away the nausea and make her feel even stronger._

_Arthur totters backwards, clutching at his gaping socket. That entire side of his face is dyed with blood and his tongue seems to lap above his lips to try and catch some to quench his obvious thirst. He didn’t seem to be as lucky as Veronica to be set with food and water before the fight, even if it took a little while for her._

_Veronica lunges forward, knocking Arthur into the bars of the arena. A few humans that were standing a bit too close jumped back with a surprised gasp. Others went wild in amusement._

_Arthur’s claws went out and hooked in her shoulder blades. He pivoted and slammed her into the bars this time. He put his hand around Veronica’s throat and roared, which she returned with a furious howl of her own. She swiped madly at him, managing to land a few good blows until it was good enough for her to leap up onto him. He collapses on his stomach and Veronica stood on top of him, holding his ears in a tight grip. She looked up at the man in the suit, who was smirking._

_The man stared back, blowing smoke out from his mouth. His eyes were expectant, denying what he already knew Veronica wanted. Nobody spared their opponents in his arena. When this message finally got across the she-wolf, she snaps Arthur’s neck with a sickening snap, never breaking eye contact for a moment._

_“Disappointing.” Mr. Suit-Man said to the watchers up with him on the stand, “I like this one, though. She shows some potential. Regardless, bring in the next opponent. This one should be fun.”_

_Veronica steps off of Arthur. His head is twisted in a horrible position, swollen tongue lolling out of his mouth. It’s hard to look at, so Veronica glances away. She backs up from the mess and parts the fur on her stomach to inspect the scratches she got. While doing so, the next battle is set up. She has to fight again._

_“It seems like our she-wolf is a little shy about killing. No fear, folks, we have the perfect solution!” The announcer says into the mic, “As we all know, werewolves are nothing just beasts, no matter how human they try to act. Well, these beasts are easily broken, especially with strong emotions. We want this she-wolf to show us the monster she really is, so let’s see what happens when she has to fight a packmate!”_

_Packmate? She doesn’t have any werewolf friends, so he must be referring to...Yeah, most likely. They weren’t too close, but the wolf in question was considered a packmate, as they shared the same territory. It was a mutual bond; they had hunted together once, before, too._

_“Here it is, Veronica and Kurt!”_

_Kurt is beckoned in by guards with hotshots. His fur is blonde with a sandy brown undercoat. Startled blue eyes stare at Veronica before softening._

_“Claws up! Teeth bared! FIGHT!”_

_Veronica moves first. Crouched on all fours, she slinks forward; the male moves, too. Her ears fold back and then swivel upright again. The fur on her neck bristles a little._

_She stands before Kurt, licks along her lips, and then nuzzled against the blonde wolf. First his chest, and then up his neck until she’s tucked under his chin. He’s doing the same, an affectionate rumble in his throat._

_“BOO! Boo!! Boo...? Awwww.” The crowd goes. “Aww.”_

_Killing a stranger was one thing, even if Veronica knew, deep down, that Arthur probably had a family he was trying to get home to, but murdering someone you know in cold blood was different. Sure, she didn’t know Kurt like the back of her hand, but there was a mutual bond between the two of them. Werewolves with that kind of trust or within the same territory weren’t supposed to kill each other. It wasn’t right._

_“This is a damn train wreck.” Mr. Suit-Man growled, “Put them up. Bring out the alphas. They’ll give us the bloodshed we want.”_

_Chains link to Kurt and Veronica’s collars and they’re dragged out the way Kurt had come in. They exchanged saddened looks and bumped snouts. Captivity is not a fate any wolf should have, especially when they’re forced into fights to the death._

———

Veronica woke up sprawled out in Duke’s media room. The others were asleep, all on the floor with blankets and pillows, and the screen was presenting a muted scene from Friends. It was two twenty-one in the morning.

Veronica stood up, stretching out her back and walking over to the window. She parted the curtains and looked out at nothing in particular, not that she was expecting something spectacular. She ran her fingertips against her neck without even thinking, almost sure that she could feel the rough blisters she got from that scratchy iron collar. On nights like this, it’s easy to go back in time to those events. Even now, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

“Veronica?”

She turned around to see Chandler sitting up, squinting at her.

“What are you doing?” She whispered.

“Nothing.” Veronica replied, padding back over to where she had been sleeping. She circled the area before laying down.

Chandler snorts.

“You’re weird.”

“I know.”

“Go to sleep.”

“Already on it.”


End file.
